Chronicle of a Croydon Boy

After taking up my post as security-caretaker/tour-guide at Mellerstain many hours were spent learning and discovering everything I could ab...

The front of Mellerstain House looks north. An expanse of parkland and a good variety of old trees create a peaceful panorama when viewed fr...

Stephen Fry had a thirty minute program on BBC Radio4 a few days ago, all about 'Hello'. I like Mr. Fry; he's an entertaining er...

Took a snap video of the formal gardens at Mellerstain. It is a blustery and dampish day and the noise of the wind in the mike is unavoidabl...

I went for a walk around Mellerstain House this afternoon with my new toy, a Flip video thingy. After traipsing all round the main gardens, ...

This is my favourite song. I discovered it just a few years ago. Jacques Brel puts so much pure emotion into this version it really gets t...

Click on the above photos to enlarge. I took the above two snapshots on a beautiful Sunday in August 1955. All the RAF personnel at Bruggen...

Mellerstain house Planting a Hornbeam tree. Planting a tree in recognition of the work of volunteers working for Guide Dogs of the Blind in ...

My only grumble about this cottage is the amount of grass cutting I have to attend to. This shot is of our 'front' garden. I have an...

On the 14th December 1995 Lord Haddington's mother, the Dowager Countess, Lady Sarah Haddington, died. She was a few months short of 10...

I'd been living in the east wing of Mellerstain House for about a year or so. The mother of the 13th Earl of Haddington was living in a ...

On Friday 31 July we shall be driving down to see my youngest daughter Clare and the two grandchildren, Jake and Ellie. It's a long car...

Mellerstain House is the only large country mansion built solely by Robert Adam. His father, William, built the east and west wings in the ...

Whether or not you believe in the paranormal - and I do not - one often experiences strange happenings. Have you ever been certain that you ...

I thought I'd offer just one of my favourite film clips and theme music, just for something completely different, as Monty Python's ...

And the days dwindled down, October, November ... and these precious days were spent in peaceful learning of the history of Mellerstain and ...

Peering into the far darkness of the night waiting for the flashing blue lights and headlamps of the cops car. The immediate surrounds of M...

Slept soundly on our first night in Mellerstain. Strong blustery winds blitzed riotously through the plentiful trees but it actually seemed...

October 1995 and we are off to a new life in the Scottish Borders. Everything’s ready for the journey; the Pickford’s Removals van has just...

Interview over. We left the curator's office in the east wing of Mellerstain and entered the east courtyard. The tea-room was open; we...